On Sunday May 7, 2017, as I was reading pg. 29 of Keith Ferrazzi‘s, “Never Eat Alone”, I came across a tool which he uses called, “The Relationship Action Plan.” This plan is separated into 3 parts:

1. Developing goals that will help us fulfill our mission.

2. Connecting these goals to the people, places, and things (resources) that will help us get the job done.

3. Determining the best way to reach out to the people who can help us to accomplish our goals.

As I was reading this, it made me reflect on one of my #7DaysOfWisdom videos which I shot back in September of 2016. In this video, I discussed the relationship between sweat equity, relationship equity, and financial equity. In addition to Keith’s “Relationship Action Plan”, I believe that it is highly important for us to understand and value equity.

Equity is something which we can all learn and earn. It starts with the amount of work we decide to put in (sweat equity). Through our sweat equity, we will eventually begin to build the connections and relationships (relationship equity) which lead to opportunities to increase our financial equity and the impact we can have on the lives of others. Let’s stay focused and have fun pursuing the things we love to do in life. Live legendary, leave a legacy!

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Cultural Curator, and Educator. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

Earlier this morning, I was listening to Gary Vaynerchuk‘s “DailyVee”episode 071 while ironing my clothes and preparing for the day. 8 minutes and 45 seconds into the episode, Gary mentioned something that really caught my attention. It goes as follows, “I thought I was unstoppable and great 10 years ago. I’m just better now. Experience matters. It’s just part of the equation. When we’re 24 and we have skills, we don’t want to think so. It’s like a baseball pitcher. We throw harder when we’re young but we’re a better pitcher when we’re older.” – Gary Vaynerchuk of VaynerMedia (The By-Product of Doing | DailyVee 071; 8:45).

There are so many lessons we can learn from observing and applying how Gary Vee moves through life as well as what he has to say throughout his daily experiences. As he very frequently mentions, it’s all about the marathon. Experience matters. Emotional intelligence matters. Legacy matters. Long-term value matters. Patience matters. Self-awareness matters. Sometimes we must make time to ask ourselves, “What game are we playing?”

Why does experience matter? Experience is seasoned. Experience is crafty. Experience knows how to feel the room out. Experience knows the importance of certainty and uncertainty, discernment and discretion, nuance and subtlety. Experience knows how to rest and when to rest. Experience is the vantage point which can often fuel our competitive advantage. As long as we continue to execute, hustle, and stay hungry – EXPERIENCE ALWAYS MATTERS!!!

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(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Cultural Curator, and Educator. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

Whether or not you may consider yourself to be an educator, we all help to educate others in one way or another. Women like Rita Pierson are just one of the many reasons why I chose to get involved in education. To this day, I continue to stay involved in education in various capacities.

City Year Miami

In August of 2011, I chose to serve as an AmeriCorps Member for an education focused non-profit organization entitled, City Year Miami. As a Corps Member, I worked at Miami Edison Senior High School. Our goal as Corps Members were to help decrease the drop-out rate and get “at-risk” students in “under-resourced” schools back on track to graduate.

Where Is The Love?

So, why do students drop out in the first place? Poverty, poor attendance, and negative peer influences are just a few examples. For this reason, the need for students to form empowering, purposeful, and productive relationships is paramount. Human emotion transcends cultural barriers. Thus, the value and importance of human connection and relationships are pivotal.

As Sean Covey puts it, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” In order to be a good teacher, you must be a great student. Listen and learn. There are voices out here that need to be heard. There are thoughts that need to be cultivated. There are talents that need to be developed.

“Every child deserves a champion.” – Rita Pierson

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(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.